Fix You
by rafaelswaithe
Summary: lights will guide you home, and ignite your bones, and i will try to fix you slow burn tyler lockwood x oc S1-onward Audrey Evans is an original character, set to be a slow burn Tyler Lockwood endgame. This fic starts in the first episode of the show and progresses from there. Audrey's faceclaim is Shelley Hennig.
1. Chapter 1

If you were to ask Audrey Evans her opinion on school, you'd get a long spew of rambling about how it was a waste of time, how she had much better things to do, and how it was all a big social construct designed to shine a spotlight on the popular kids — or in her opinion, the kids who thought that they were better than everyone else. And to the town, maybe they were, but she was going to need a bit more convincing.

She let out a sigh as she stood with her best friend, Jeremy Gilbert, checking the time on her watch as they waited outside of the school for him to make a deal with Vicki Donovan.

Her eyes rolled at just the thought of the other girl's name. Sure, since Jeremy's parents died, he'd gotten himself into trouble all on his own, but nevertheless, the last thing that he needed was Matt Donovan's junkie, legal adult of an older sister toying with and further corrupting him.

Each of them had known each other since they were small enough to make friends, and even as children, Audrey had loathed Vicki. Despite the town knowing of the Donovan's social status and Vicki's own bad reputation, she still seemed to think that she was superior. It had actually been nice to see her get knocked down a peg or two when Matt started dating Elena Gilbert, the younger brunette girl quickly becoming the favorite of every adult that she encountered.

Elena Gilbert was the golden girl of Mystic Falls, and that was something that the group of them had learned early on in life. So, when Grayson and Miranda died, it was a surprise to see her stray from that squeaky-clean image that she'd portrayed of herself and truly shut down and close herself off from the world.

Still, Vicki had weaseled her way into Jeremy's heart, the latter constantly following her around like a lovesick puppy. It was easy for anyone else to see that the feelings were one-sided, or at least that's what Audrey thought, but perhaps she was biased.

One thing that _hadn't_ been spread around town like wildfire was the fact that Audrey had a major crush on Jeremy, and it had been there since before she could remember. Despite any mischievous deeds that Vicki enticed Jeremy into, she supposed she was truly jealous that it wasn't her that Jeremy had turned to. She felt fiercely protective of Jeremy, because she felt that she was the one who he should be swooning over every chance that he got.

As Vicki approached, Jeremy grabbed the small baggie of pills from his pocket and passed the older girl one as Audrey looked on with pursed lips, fighting the urge to say anything. She didn't think that she was too good for any of it, obviously, if Jeremy was a part of it too, but if Vicki was there, she hated the situation by default.

"Don't take more than two in a six-hour window," Jeremy instructed, and Vicki soon downed the pill.

Audrey started to speak up and tell Jeremy that they should get going, as he and Vicki shared a secret smile, yet at that point, Tyler Lockwood walked up.

_Great_, Audrey thought, _someone else to get on my nerves_.

"I knew I'd find you here with the crackheads," Tyler spoke as he approached Vicki, arm sliding low around her waist as she greeted him.

"Hey, Pete Wentz called. He wants his nail polish back."

Audrey's eyes narrowed at Tyler's words and she spoke up, "The nineteen-nineties called. They want their insults back."

Jeremy gave her the smallest of smirks, then looked back to Tyler. "Pete Wentz, huh? How old school TRL of you. Carson Daly fan?" he taunted.

As Tyler started to step closer, Vicki pressed against his chest, speaking up finally. "Oh, Ty, be nice. That's Elena's little brother." Audrey's eyes rolled, and she fought the urge to reply sarcastically. They had all grown up together. Maybe Vicki's memory was a bit foggy from all of the drugs, but she couldn't be that dense, could she?

"I know who he is," Tyler replied. "I'll still kick his ass."

With that, Tyler leaned in, pressing his lips to Vicki's in a kiss, causing Jeremy to look away with a clench of his jaw.

Instead of allowing him to linger and letting things become instigated further, Audrey grabbed Jeremy by the sleeve of his hoodie, dragging him away from where they stood and toward the smoker's pit.

"I hate that guy," Jeremy seethed under his breath, and Audrey slid her arm through the crook of his, guiding them through the crowd of people as they walked. She wasn't sure how many students would be in the area at this time, but it was a place that they'd heard about from older partiers that they knew, and if smoking would calm Jeremy down right now, then she was all for it.

"I know. I don't think anyone really _likes_ him. They just put up with him because he has money, throws good parties, and his dad is the mayor," she shrugged. "It'll be fine, Jer. He'll get bored with Vicki, and then you can be the knight in shining armor, picking up his slack," she spoke with a roll of her eyes.

Jeremy let out a scoff then, walking with her toward the seating area. Making sure that the area was clear of adults, or anyone who looked like they might rat them out, Jeremy pulled out a joint and Audrey a lighter. She passed the lighter off to him, allowing him to light the joint and take the first couple of hits.

She sat beside him, leaning against his side as she took the joint from him, taking a couple of hits herself. Looking down at the ground, she looked over at her friend, the guy that she loved, and pursed her lips in thought before soon speaking aloud as she passed the joint back to him. "What is it about Vicki? What do you see in her?"

Jeremy thought to himself, letting out a little hum, "She's hot.. she's always been hot. Plus, she's older, and _that's_ hot," he started. He sighed softly, shrugging his shoulders, "She doesn't care that I'm so screwed up. She still wanted me, even when I was at my lowest. Sure, she doesn't want to go public, or make a big deal out of it, but.. I think I love her. There's something there."

Audrey bit down on her lip in the center, nodding lightly as she took in his words. _I think I love her_. Well, that stung. Still, she was talking to him as his friend, and she didn't want to make him feel worse than he already did. "You could do better," she replied simply.

"Maybe," he spoke, glancing down at the ground. "But, I don't want to."

All that the school seemed to be talking about that day was a new kid in the junior class. _Stefan Salvatore_. It was a weird name, if you asked her, but apparently, he was the nephew of one of the members of the founding families, Zach Salvatore.

Audrey lost interest at the mention of founding families. Though her best friend and most of the others that they'd grown up with had been part of the founding families, she still cringed at the thought. It was like their ancestors had found some sort of superiority just by colonizing the town, and the descendants of those settlers were meant to be an elite group of people.

Perhaps if she didn't know as much of her own history, it wouldn't make her as irritated to think of it all.

She was, by birth, a member of a founding family, the daughter of Logan Fell. Yet, upon learning that Audrey's mother Sarah was pregnant with her, Logan promptly ceased all contact with her. Months later, Sarah had received a package with a non-disclosure agreement forbidding her from giving the child the Fell name or making any further contact with Logan with the threat that if she did, legal action would be taken.

Unable to afford a lawsuit, she had agreed, raising her daughter completely on her own. It wasn't until years later when Audrey's class was assigned the task of creating a family tree that the truth came out.

From that point on, Audrey had seen her father on the news every night, nothing short of a glare on her face when he would make an appearance. After finding out about what had happened, she vowed to never forgive him, or trust anyone as easily as she had in the past, for that matter.

If someone like Logan Fell could put on such a nice guy façade, and yet be so scummy, anyone could, and she refused to leave herself vulnerable to that. Anyone that thought that they were better than anyone else, whether it be because of their last name, social status, or anything of the sort, had no place in her life.

So, with that in mind, she paid all of the talk of the new guy no attention.

She and Jeremy had agreed to meet at the Grill, and of course, she was just in time to see Vicki and Jeremy bickering in hushed tones, presumably so no one could hear what all was between the two of them. She rolled her eyes, moving toward a table and sending the younger Gilbert a text to let him know that she was there.

After several minutes of lingering when the older girl had walked away, Audrey saw Jeremy finally make his way to the table with her. "Trouble in paradise?" she spoke, her tone teasing, though she felt somewhat sympathetic for the boy in front of her. Though she didn't approve of his taste in women, she still knew what it was like to care about someone and have it gone unwanted or unnoticed.

Jeremy let out a sarcastic laugh, sipping from the drink that Audrey had ordered for him when she ordered her own. "She doesn't want to ruin her chance with Tyler," he replied with a roll of his eyes.

Audrey pursed her lips in thought, considering her next words for a moment before starting to speak up. "You know, I've heard there's going to be a party in the woods tomorrow. Make your final move there. If she doesn't go for it at that point, then I say move on," she suggested with a little shrug of her shoulders.

She doubted that he'd take her advice, but it was a long shot in hopes that soon enough, she wouldn't have to hear him speak of Vicki Donovan anymore. If she heard any more about her, it'd be all too soon.

The younger Gilbert simply shrugged his shoulders in response, as if he'd consider it, but he wasn't making any promises. Audrey's eyes rolled and she shook her head. "I'm just saying, Jer.. you can't let her keep hurting you over and over like this."

"And what do you know of it?" he snapped back, prompting an arch of Audrey's eyebrows. "When was the last time that you've cared about anyone? Don't worry, I'll wait."

His words stung more than she'd like to admit, and it took all of her strength to not grab him by the collar of his shirt, make him realize that she _did_ care. She cared about _him_, but the only one that he could see was Vicki.

Her lips pursed, and she waited for a moment. After the moment passed, she gathered her things and stood up from the booth. "You know what, Jeremy? You're right. Do whatever you want. I'll see you later." And before he could argue, she turned on her heel, stalking off toward the exit of the Grill, leaving Jeremy with nothing to do but huff to himself in frustration.

Audrey didn't speak to Jeremy for the rest of the night, or even the next day at school. They'd had arguments before, and they always fizzled out in time. When she was mad, it was always better to give herself the opportunity to cool off before speaking to someone again. If she was still angry, there was a good chance that she would blow up at the other person and say something that she'd regret. The last person that she wanted to do that with was Jeremy.

Even though she didn't go with Jeremy like she normally would have, Audrey found herself at the party she'd mentioned to him the day before. She wasn't sure if it would make her feel better or worse, but she did know that she would have felt strange not going. It was basically a school-wide thing, and though she wasn't huge into social circles, it was better than sitting around at home.

The party went on as expected, with a lot of drinking and weed, and couples finding secluded places to hook up. Her eyes set on Tyler and Vicki later on in the evening, rolling her eyes and shaking her head as she saw Tyler leading Vicki toward the clearing of the woods, clear on what the Lockwood boy probably had in mind.

Then, looking a bit further over from Tyler and Vicki had stood was Jeremy, sulking and nursing a beer along with a few of his stoner friends. She let out a soft sigh, shifting from one foot to the other as she took a sip of her own drink. She felt guilty for growing angry with him before, especially now that he was that much more upset over Vicki. Still, her pride kept her from making her way over to apologize. Maybe at the end of the night, things would be different.

Making her way to grab another drink, she greeted a few people that she knew, using the tap on the keg to refill her plastic cup. As she looked back toward where Jeremy had been standing, she noticed that he was gone, and though she hadn't seen him, she had an idea where he had gone.

A bit more time had passed, and as Audrey was getting ready to head home and crash, there was a commotion from the clearing of the woods. A familiar voice called for help, and she focused in on the situation more. _Elena_. It had been her voice that she'd heard. And emerging from behind her was Jeremy, Vicki slumped in his arms. Matt, Tyler and several others began to rush over, eager to investigate what had happened.

Audrey moved in closer then, taking a spot beside Jeremy as he laid Vicki down, then stepped back. She looked up at her best friend, noticed the look of trauma on his features. He had just lost his parents, she couldn't imagine how much it would break him if he were to lose Vicki too.

Reaching down, she took his hand in hers, squeezing it lightly as if to offer him some sort of comfort. In this situation, however, she wasn't sure that there was much comfort to be had.

The police and paramedics arrive what feels like hours later, though she was sure it was merely minutes. The ambulance took Vicki away, and after giving a statement to the police, Jeremy remained beside her, expression vacant as he sipped at his beer. There were cops around, sure, but they had bigger things to deal with, and honestly, she wasn't sure that Jeremy cared.

Elena walked over then, and a soft scowl moved over Audrey's lips, having a feeling that the elder Gilbert was about to start giving Jeremy grief for his drinking. As if on cue, Elena spoke up, "You okay? I called Jenna, she's on her way. Those people in uniforms, last time I checked, they're the police. People are going to stop giving you breaks, Jer. They just don't care anymore. They don't remember that our parents are dead, because they've got their own lives to deal with. The rest of the world has moved on. You should try, too."

Audrey glared lightly at Elena, and Jeremy replied soon after, "I've seen you in the cemetery writing in your diary. Is that-is that supposed to be you moving on?" It was a low dig, but truth be told, Elena didn't have much room to talk about moving on from her grief, either.

Elena frowned at Jeremy and shook her head, "Mom and Dad wouldn't have wanted this."

Audrey spoke up in that moment, "There's a lot of things that would be different if they were still here. Give it a rest, Elena. Let him have one night without you patronizing him."

Elena opened her mouth to reply, then closed it again. Instead of saying anything else, she turned away, waiting for Jenna on her own. Audrey looked over at Jeremy, his arm silently moving around her shoulders in a thanks. She turned into him then, arms wrapping around his waist as she rested her head against his shoulder, waiting for their ride home.


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning came seemingly way too early, and as Audrey's alarm sounded throughout the room, she let out a loud groan, hitting the snooze button and rolling back over. It wasn't the first time that she'd gone to a party at the falls on a school night, yet with all that had happened the night before, her body felt like each of her limbs were being held down with a bag of bricks.

Vicki had been attacked by what the first responders had claimed was some sort of animal, and after the party had dispersed, Jenna had dropped her off at home to attempt and sleep it all off. She remembered trying to protest, wanting to be with Jeremy after everything, yet Jenna had insisted that after hearing of the attack, Sarah would surely want her home.

As her alarm began to go off again, Audrey heard a knock at her bedroom door. After a moment of waiting, her mother walked into the room. "Hey, kiddo," Sarah started, sitting on the edge of the bed. She looked Audrey over, shaking her head to herself as she thought of just what had happened to Vicki hours earlier.

"Hey," Audrey replied simply, turning to face Sarah as she spoke, sure that she had more to say than just greeting her good morning.

"Are you feeling okay?" Sarah asked, reaching out and pushing Audrey's hair from her face, gently touching the back of her hand to her forehead, then her cheek.

Audrey let out a little sigh, nodding, "I'm fine, Mom."

Truth be told, it was a bit jarring, thinking of the events of the night before. Sure, she didn't _like_ Vicki, but the fact of the matter was that what happened to her could have happened to anyone that had been out in the woods that night, including her.

"You sure? Jenna told me about Vicki Donovan. You've all known each other so long, I'd understand if you wanted to stay home."

Nodding once more, "I'm fine. Vicki and I aren't close. Besides, if Jeremy's at school today, it would probably be best that I'm there." Audrey's shoulders rose and fell in a little shrug, "Emotional support and all of that."

Sarah tilted her head a bit at that, expression curious, "I didn't realize Jeremy and Vicki were close, either."

Audrey nearly cursed under her breath at that, biting down on the inside of cheek before quickly covering her tracks. "They're not, but he was the one who found her. Other than Matt, he's probably taking it the hardest," she spoke.

She watched as her mom processed what she'd told her before nodding. "Right. Well, if you change your mind, let me know and I'll check you out of school. I'm sure Liz would understand. I work today, but I should be home in time for dinner. You can choose what we have tonight."

Sarah reached over and lightly squeezed Audrey's shoulder before moving from the bed, the teenager's brain working to comprehend all of the information that her mom had just spouted out. "Got it. I'll be sure to pick something good," she replied, sitting up slowly before pushing herself out of bed and heading toward the bathroom to wash up before school.

—

Audrey stood by her locker after collecting her things for her first class, pulling out her phone after a moment to send a text. Usually Jeremy would have at least made an appearance by then, and if not, he'd have texted her to let her know that he wouldn't be there.

_Where are you?_

The text sent, then a few moments later, she received one in return.

_Hospital, checking in on Vicki. I'll see you later._

Her eyes rolled at his response, and instead of replying, she simply closed out the texts and pocketed her phone again.

As she turned to walk toward her class, she smiled as she saw her friend Eden at her locker, getting ready to go to the same class.

Walking up beside the other girl, Audrey looped her arm through Eden's as she'd begun to walk. "You have no idea how good it is to see you right now," she spoke.

Eden's brow arched at the sudden contact and Audrey's words, but she smiled immediately after. "And why is that? Wait — don't tell me. You needed your daily dose of your _favorite_ person at Mystic Falls High."

Audrey smirked a little at Eden's teasing and rolled her eyes fondly, "_One_ of my favorite people," she corrected, pointing the finger of her free hand at the other girl.

Eden scoffed, rolling her eyes as well, "Right. And where is Mystic Falls' resident juvenile drug dealer?" she joked, causing Audrey to laugh, then shake her head immediately afterward.

"Take a guess," she replied.

Eden was one of the only people in town that knew just how she truly felt about Jeremy Gilbert. It wasn't that she tried to make it a secret, but she had never found the right time to act on her feelings. As soon as she'd truly realized them, Jeremy's parents died, then he started hooking up with Vicki. She'd thought that maybe now that Vicki was trying to push him away that he'd take a hint and move on, yet with how he'd helped in saving her life, that didn't seem as much of an option anymore either.

Shaking her head slowly, Eden let out a little sigh, "What is it about her, I wonder? She must give _really_ good he—"

Before she could get the rest of her sentence out, Audrey had reached out and covered the other girl's mouth. "Eden!" she whined, though she couldn't help but laugh nonetheless.

Eden smirked behind the other girl's hand, reaching up and removing it, squeezing Audrey's digits in her own before releasing them. "What? Hell, even Tyler Lockwood is up her ass, she must be good at something."

Audrey shook her head, "One, Tyler Lockwood will fuck anything that moves. Two, I don't want to think about Jeremy doing.. _that_ with her. It's just.. no."

The two made their way into the classroom, finding a couple of seats beside one another, watching as the other students filed in seconds before the bell, Coach Tanner standing at the door with disapproving looks to those who slipped in late.

—

The rest of the day seemed to drag on even more than a typical school day. All that she heard about all day was Vicki being attacked, and though she told herself that it did deserve some attention considering she could have _died_, she still couldn't help herself from being irritated with the lack of diverse conversation.

Pulling out her phone after her last class, she walked alongside Eden in the direction of the lockers. She checked her texts, sighing as she saw no new ones from Jeremy. It was as if he had checked out of life the second he'd gotten his opportunity to spend more time with Vicki, albeit at the hospital.

Eden reached over, taking the phone from Audrey's hand and putting in her own pocket. "Stop checking in on him!" she scolded. "You know what? We're going to the Grill, and we're going to share a basket of fries and distract ourselves from all of this. I _might_ even let you talk me into a round of pool."

Audrey opened her mouth to protest when the phone was taken from her hand, but smiled at Eden's words. Rolling her eyes, she shook her head, "You don't hate pool, you know. You just hate that I always win," she smirked, nudging the other girl's shoulder with her own.

Eden gasped playfully, feigning as if she were more offended by Audrey's statement than she actually was. "That's just rude. How do you know that I don't just let you win?" she asked, arching her brow as if to challenge the other.

Letting out a laugh, Audrey shrugged, "Easy — your pride's too big for you to let anyone win."

Eden narrowed her eyes at the other girl before wrapping an arm around her shoulders and guiding her toward the exit of the school. "You're lucky that I love you, you know that?"

Audrey leaned into Eden's side as they walked, grinning wide and shaking her head, "I tell myself that every day."

—

Another of Audrey's billiard balls ended up in a pocket, and she grinned, looking over at Eden who was simply shaking her head. "I just don't understand how you got so good at this," Eden marveled.

Audrey shrugged, moving into position to hit another one of the balls, "Practice, I guess. Maybe it's just one of the things that I'm naturally good at. People have natural talents, you know."

Eden rolled her eyes, "You already have natural talents.. baking, dancing.. you can't have them _all_, you know," she teased.

A scoff left Audrey's lips as she shook her head, "You're exaggerating. Baking and dancing are both hobbies that I worked on. This.. I worked on it too, but it was never really that hard, I don't know why."

"Whatever you say, Evans," Eden spoke, moving to take a shot when Audrey finally missed hers.

Audrey's eyes lifted as she noticed a group of kids entering the Grill, recognizing most of them from school. Though she didn't always talk to a lot of people, preferring to keep her circle small, basically everyone knew each other in Mystic Falls. They'd all grown up together, and unless you were new to town, it was hard not to recognize someone.

Among the small crowd, she saw Tyler Lockwood, arm draped around the shoulders of an unfamiliar blonde. She knew that she'd probably seen her before, but she couldn't quite think of her name at the moment. Still, something told her that Eden would know.

Nodding toward the group, Audrey asked her quietly, "Who is that with Tyler?"

Eden looked over her shoulder, noticing the group. Her eyes scanned over them before reaching Tyler, and she hummed softly. "Ashley something. She's a freshman, moved her from somewhere in Pennsylvania over the summer. She's going to be trying out for the cheer team."

Audrey raised a brow as Eden rattled off facts about the girl in question, nodding lightly when she finished. "Think someone should tell her just who she's dealing with, there?" she asked.

Eden pursed her lips softly, eyeing the pair, "I'll mention it to her, but I'm sure she'll figure it out sooner rather than later. Speaking of cheer tryouts, I know it's really not your thing, but you should consider it! You'd get your share of dancing, and plus I'll be there. Come on, it could be really fun, just think about it," she pleaded.

Audrey let out a soft sigh. This wasn't the first time that Eden had asked her to consider trying out of for the squad, but she'd put her off every time, telling her she'd think about it. She supposed it couldn't be _too_ bad, and if it was, she'd quit. After all, it wasn't like Caroline Forbes would put anyone but herself as star of the show.

"_Fine_," Audrey answered after a bit longer, grinning when she heard Eden's squeal of excitement. She felt her arms wrap around her and she laughed, shaking her head, giving her a small hug back.

Once the two had separated, Audrey leaned over the pool table to take her final shot. She aimed, then took her shot, the cue ball tapping against the eight ball, and as it slowly rolled toward the pocket, she grinned as it dropped in.

"I win."

—

The next night was the night of the comet, and the candle lighting ceremony that came along with it. Audrey and Eden had come together, yet after a while, the two parted ways, Audrey deciding to find Jeremy and Eden finding a few of her other friends to spend some time with them.

As Audrey made her way into the Grill, she looked around for Jeremy, finding him as he was also seeming to be searching for someone. Placing a hand on his arm, she spoke softly, "Hey, you okay?"

Jeremy stopped, glancing over at Audrey as she gripped his arm. "You haven't seen Vicki, have you? She was working, but I haven't seen her around in a while."

Audrey tried to fight the urge to roll her eyes, shaking her head instead, "No, I've been in the square, I just got here. Have you asked Matt or anyone if they've seen her?"

Jeremy shook his head at her question, nodding for her to follow him, which she did, despite the fact that they last thing she wanted to do was look for Vicki.

"Hey, has anyone seen Vicki?" Jeremy asked, stopping in front of the table where Elena, Matt, and the others were.

"You're her stalker. You tell us," Tyler was quick to reply, elbows resting against the table as he leaned forward.

"I can't find her."

Matt, Caroline and Bonnie stepped closer as the others around them spoke, picking up as they heard that Vicki was missing.

"She probably found someone else to party with. Sorry, pill pusher, I guess you've been replaced."

Audrey opened her mouth to defend Jeremy, but closed it when Elena spoke up, confused expression on her features. "What's with the pill pusher?"

"Ask him," Tyler replied.

"You wanna do this right now?" Jeremy asked, leaning forward as he glared at the other male. Audrey placed a hand against his shoulder, not wanting him to start anything and end up in a fight.

"Are you dealing?" Elena spoke, anger and frustration clear in her tone.

The two boys ignored Elena, continuing to go back and forth.

"She's never gonna go for you."

"She already did. Over and over and over again."

Tyler scoffed, "Yeah, right."

Caroline spoke up then, "You slept with Vicki Donovan? I mean, Vicki Donovan slept with you?" It was clear she was shocked and a bit skeptical, but Audrey was sure she'd get over that much soon enough.

"There's no way," Tyler told her.

"And I didn't even have to force her into it." Jeremy added, shooting a glare at Tyler.

As the two continued to glare at one another, a challenging air between them, Matt broke the moment of silence, "What the hell is he talking about, Ty?"

"Nothing, man. Just ignore him, he's a punk."

"You know what? How about all of you shut up and help me find my sister?" Matt spoke, the others agreeing and beginning to step away.

"We'll check the back," Bonnie said, moving with Caroline.

Matt nodded, "I'll check the square."

"I'll come with you," Jeremy started, but Elena quickly grabbed his arm and stopped him.

"Oh, no, no, no. You're coming with me."

Audrey let out a little huff, looking around and wondering which way she should go. She spotted Tyler heading out the back with Caroline and Bonnie, as the other girls split off, Audrey moved to walk beside Tyler.

"That was a real dick move in there, you know," Audrey spoke up, looking over at him.

Tyler shrugged his shoulders, walking alongside her, "Yeah, well.. I just wanted him to get off my case, and Elena was going to find out eventually."

Audrey nodded slowly, considering what she was going to say next.

"Do you like Vicki? Like, actually care about her?"

Tyler gave her a look then, confused and seeming to wonder just what she was getting at. "Obviously. I sleep with her, and she's my best friend's sister. I don't _not_ care about her."

"Then maybe you should show it, instead of screwing around with other girls and being an ass to Jeremy when he does show it."

Tyler considered her words carefully, nodding. "I guess you have a point," he spoke.

"I always do," she replied with a little smirk, lightly patting him on the arm and continuing to walk along.

—

Vicki had finally been found by Stefan, and after bringing her back to the Grill and getting her calmed down, Matt let everyone know that they could stop searching.

Audrey knew when she got home that there would be a lot of questions to answer from her mother. She was sure by now that the events of tonight had gotten back to the local police station, but she didn't want to give it any more of her time than she already had.

Walking into the house and closing the door behind her, she heard her mom call out to her from the living room. "Audrey? Everything okay?" Sarah asked.

"Everything's fine, yeah. Stefan Salvatore found Vicki and she's back at the Grill with Matt. I'm going to turn in for the night, love you," she spoke, already starting up the stairs.

"Love you too," Sarah replied, though her tone was a bit confused as she took a moment to process the information that she was given.

As Audrey opened the door to her bedroom and started inside, she heard her phone ding in her pocket. Putting her bag down on her desk, she pulled the phone from her pocket, seeing a text from Jeremy.

_She's with Tyler. After everything, she's at the Grill making out with Tyler._

Audrey sighed as she read the message, her thumb hovering over the keys as she thought of what she would say. After a few moments, she decided that it would be better to leave it alone. She was exhausted, and the last thing that she felt like doing was consoling him, despite her own crush, about the girl that he wanted instead.

She placed her phone on the nightstand and moved into the bathroom, changing into her pajamas and getting ready for bed.

Something told her that this was only one long day of more long days to come.


	3. Chapter 3

Audrey rolled her eyes playfully as she listened to Eden's reaction to the events of the night before. The two got out of Eden's car once it was parked and met each other at the front, beginning to walk toward the school.

"So wait, you're telling me that Jeremy outed himself and Vicki as sleeping together to everyone in his sister's immediate circle, _including_ Tyler, and I missed that?" Eden asked incredulously, letting out a groan at the thought.

"Yep. Quick and without hesitation. It was like watching someone else," Audrey nodded.

"But, you said he texted you last night, right? Saying that she was with Tyler."

Audrey shrugged her shoulders in response, looking over at the other girl. "I possibly had something to do with that," she replied quietly.

"Wait _what_?" Eden asked, even more in shock than the first time.

"Not intentionally. When we were looking for Vicki, everyone split up, and I ended up with Tyler. I told him that he was a dick for outing Jeremy for dealing, and ended up telling him that if he liked Vicki, he should actually show it."

Eden's brow arched at that, looking over at her friend. "Wow, and why are you giving Tyler Lockwood relationship advice all of a sudden?"

Audrey scoffed, "I'm _not_. I'm just.." she sighed, trailing off for a moment as she thought of how to word her next sentence. "Tyler's not a bad guy. Not really, at least. Not deep down. He's an asshole, but, if that's who Vicki chooses, then Jeremy's going to have to move on eventually. Plus, Tyler might as well know that he's acting like a complete ass."

The older girl looked at her friend a bit curiously, but nodded. "Okay, I guess you have a point. And when Jeremy does move on, you're just sitting around waiting and hoping that he picks you to move on with, correct me if I'm wrong."

Biting down on her lower lip, Audrey looked away, rolling her eyes. "I'm not sitting around waiting. But, if it happens, I wouldn't exactly argue."

Eden moved to step in front of Audrey, placing her hands on either of her shoulders. "Look, I don't know what it is about Gilbert that makes you so crazy — honestly, I don't see it at all — but, you need to know that even if nothing ever happens between the two of you, you are still the best thing to ever happen to him. Whether he knows it or not."

Audrey looked on at Eden as she spoke, grinning fondly at her friend's words. "Hey, if all else fails, maybe I'll just date you," she joked.

Eden scoffed playfully, turning and starting to walk with the other, "Babe, you couldn't handle me," she teased in return.

Audrey laughed along with Eden, her brow furrowing as she saw Jeremy starting to storm past them.

"Hey," she spoke, tone attempting to calm him as she grabbed his arm. "What's wrong?"

Jeremy stopped abruptly, yanked back by Audrey's grip on his arm. "What do you _think_ is wrong? Didn't you get my message last night?" he asked, his frustrating doing nothing to hide the hurt in his voice.

Audrey sighed, glancing over at Eden for a moment as if to tell her not to say anything before looking back at Jeremy. "I did, I didn't see it until this morning. Are you okay?"

He scoffed a little, "I came out and asked her, if it was all about the drugs. She said it wasn't, but couldn't say anything to prove it otherwise. I just don't know what else I can do."

Eden touched Audrey's arm lightly to get her attention before excusing herself to give the other two a minute.

"I'm sorry, Jer. Hey, why don't we go to the pit and just relax, okay?"

Jeremy shook his head, "She's out there right now. Let's just go inside or something," he spoke. Moving to walk beside her, Jeremy's arm moved around Audrey's shoulders and she walked with him, allowing herself to settle a bit closer against his side.

It was all a bit masochistic, and she knew it, yet still, she couldn't seem to change the way that she felt.

"So, I heard Eden talked you into cheer tryouts later. Who am I going to hang out with at the pep rallies now if you make it?" he asked, nudging her lightly.

Her eyes rolled playfully, and Audrey shook her head, "I'm sure you'll figure it out. Besides, it'll give you an _actual_ reason to be there without just drinking on the sidelines," she teased him.

Jeremy let out a short laugh, shaking his head, "Yeah, yeah. You say that as if you wouldn't be with me."

Audrey smirked a little, "Only because you're such a bad influence. Not to mention a pain in the ass."

Jeremy grinned, "Maybe. But, I'm _your_ pain in the ass."

She grinned at that, shaking her head and continuing into the building with him.

— — — — — — — — — —

The day went on a bit long, and though she didn't know exactly what to expect from cheer tryouts, she wasn't too anxious. She enjoyed dancing, and even if she didn't make the squad, then at least she could say she'd tried, and had a fun experience. Plus, being on the squad with Eden, and even Bonnie, could give her the chance to spend more time doing something productive, and less time worrying about her feelings for Jeremy.

After changing into her athletic wear, she made her way out to the field for tryouts. The other girls in the squad and the ones who were trying out were already waiting, As Audrey got closer, she saw Eden sitting with Bonnie and made her way over.

"Hey guys," she greeted, getting a big smile in return from both girls.

"I told you I'd talk her into it," Eden told Bonnie, smiling wide.

"You did. Now, if only we could get Elena to show up," Bonnie pointed out.

"Elena's back on the team? I didn't think that she'd be ready for that," Audrey spoke quietly.

In that moment, they heard someone clear their throat. Looking up, the three girls saw Elena walking up.

"Oh my God, you're here!" Bonnie said excitedly, moving to hug Elena, the other girls giving her a polite smile.

It wasn't that Audrey disliked Elena, particularly. She just didn't agree with everything she did or said, especially when it came to how she treated Jeremy at times. She knew that the older Gilbert was only trying to look out for her brother, but she also couldn't help but wonder if she could go about it another way. Jeremy was fifteen. The last person that he wanted to listen to was his bossy older sister.

Eden and Audrey distanced themselves from Bonnie and Elena's conversation, Eden grinning, "So, did you get the chance to practice the choreography? Either way, Caroline would be an idiot not to let you on the squad. You're probably a better dancer than half of these girls."

Audrey rolled her eyes a bit at Eden's compliments. "I wouldn't say all of that. After all, it's been a while since I've really danced. I haven't taken classes since middle school. Plus, even if I don't make it, I'm sure it'll be fine, and I can always try again next year."

Eden shook her head, "You're going to make it, I have a feeling."

The group of girls hung around a bit longer, waiting for Caroline to show up to start warm ups. After a few more minutes, an older blue convertible pulled up, blaring music from its speakers. Several of the girls looked up, Audrey and Eden's brows arching as they saw Caroline lean in and kiss the man driving the car, soon overhearing as Elena said that was Stefan's brother, Damon.

"Wow. That's a lot to unpack," Eden spoke quietly.

"Tell me about it," Audrey replied, moving into formation with the other girls.

— — — — — — — — — —

After warm-ups, the girls ran through the choreographed routine a few times before Caroline started making each of them do the dance one by one, mentally eliminating those who didn't make the squad as she went along.

Once it was Audrey's turn, she moved into starting position, nodding that she was ready. As the music began, she moved to it perfectly as practiced, even adding a bit of her own flair to the routine at points, earning a critical arch of Caroline's brow.

The routine ran its course, and once the music stopped, Caroline smiled her normal, over the top smile, "Thanks, Audrey, we'll let you know," she spoke, dismissing her.

As she started to walk away, she heard Caroline and Bonnie muttering to each other, Caroline pointing out that she had added to the routine, and Bonnie agreeing, but pointing out that Audrey had been one of the best auditions so far.

She walked over to sit beside Eden with the others who'd already taken their turn, grinning as she approached her.

"Okay, that was badass. I knew you had the routine totally down, but that little extra you put in there? Amazing," Eden praised.

"Yeah? I don't know that Caroline thought so," Audrey replied, but smirked nonetheless. She didn't regret it. In her days of taking dance class, the teachers had always encouraged them to make themselves noticeable and sell the routine. On a stage with that many other girls, it was easy to get lost in the crowd, and that was the last thing that anyone ambitious like Audrey wanted.

"Yeah, well, Caroline's just upset that she didn't think of those extra moves herself," Eden spoke. "I'll be you a basket of fries at the Grill that you're on the squad."

Audrey arched her brow at that, "Ugh, you know me and my love of carbs so well. Fine, I'm in."

The girls continued their conversations for a bit longer until Caroline called out that they'd decided who had made the squad. Standing up and moving closer, Audrey and Eden glanced at each other, waiting to see if Audrey's name was called.

Caroline spoke up, looking from a list that she'd made on her phone, "Okay, if I call your name, you're on the squad. If not, then better luck next year." With that, she began calling out names, listing off a few before she called Audrey's.

"Audrey Evans," Caroline spoke, finding the girl in the crowd. As the two made eye contact, there was a bit of a challenging nature in Caroline's eyes and Audrey nodded as if to say she picked up on it.

Eden nudged her then, grinning wide, "I told you so. You owe me a basket of fries."

Audrey rolled her eyes, letting out a laugh, "Fine. But, only because I want some myself," she teased.

— — — — — — — — — —

The two girls went to the Grill after practice, Audrey sticking to their deal and buying her and Eden a basket of fries. They had spotted Jeremy on the way in, though it was obvious to see that he wasn't concentrated on anyone but Vicki and Tyler.

Tyler had just not-so-subtly grabbed Vicki's ass, and Audrey rolled her eyes, shaking her head as she stole another look at Jeremy. He was watching intently, even spotting the way that Tyler kissed her cheek before starting to walk away.

Audrey saw Matt walk over to Jeremy after a moment, she was assuming to console him. Jeremy was her friend and she loved him, even more so than she let on, yet still, it was nice to not be the only one helping him through his troubles with Vicki anymore.

Eden waved her hand in front of Audrey's face, bringing the other girl's attention back to her. "Hey, did you hear anything that I just said?"

Audrey sighed, shaking her head, "I'm sorry."

Eden looked over in the direction that Audrey was and playfully tossed a fry at her, "Eyes over here, Evans. That's a train wreck that you don't need to keep entertaining."

She nodded a little, "Yeah, you're probably right."

With that, she heard familiar voices yelling back and forth at one another, and she looked at where she'd seen Jeremy with Matt, seeing that he was no longer there. Then, she looked in the direction of the chaos, seeing Jeremy and Tyler seemingly about the fight, Matt holding the older male back.

"Wow," she commented to herself. The more time that went on, the more that she began to believe that Eden was right.

"See?" Eden spoke as both boys stormed off in opposite directions. "Train wreck."

— — — — — — — — — —

The next day was the football game, and Audrey's first event as an official part of the cheerleading squad. Though it was something new, she followed Eden's lead, knowing that she'd figure it out that way if she were to forget any moves or slip up in any way.

Before the game, everyone was tailgating, the cheerleaders and football team all gathered around Coach Tanner as he led with a pre-game speech, officially introducing Stefan to the team. There were cheers and clapping, most people glad to hear that they had more of a chance of winning the game than before, thanks to the new addition.

Audrey looked around, catching Eden's eye and earning a large smile from her, which she returned. Her eyes then found Jeremy in the crowd, drinking and passing a bottle around with a few others, just like she said he would.

She let out a sigh to herself. The tension between Jeremy and Tyler had been building and building, and she knew that soon enough, one of them was going to explode, only able to contain it all for so long. She just hoped that Jeremy truly knew what he was getting himself into.

After a few more moments, there was a commotion behind the group of tailgaters, and she could hear a girl shouting. Gradually, the crowd began to turn, to move and investigate. Soon enough, she spotted Jeremy and Tyler locked in a fight, trading blows, Vicki screaming at the two of them to stop, and for Tyler to get off of him.

Audrey moved toward the front of the crowd, approaching beside Elena. She walked up just in time to see Stefan pull Tyler off of Jeremy, letting out a small sigh of relief that they'd been separated.

Then, a reflection of light caught her eye and her glance moved to the broken bottle on the ground, glistening in the bright lights around the football field. Jeremy moved to pick the broken bottle up, moving toward Tyler with it, but hitting Stefan's hand instead.

"Jeremy, no!" Elena called out.

"Tyler, knock it off! Stop!" Matt yelled, pulling Tyler back and away from the fight.

Audrey's eyes surveyed the situation, trying to determine just where she should go, who she should try and talk to, or if she should do anything at all. She exhaled heavily, eyes finally settling on Eden and moving over to where she was standing with Bonnie and Caroline.

Eden held her hand out for Audrey, and she moved to take it, squeezing it lightly.

"You okay?" Eden asked, looking over at her friend.

Audrey nodded, "I'm fine."

"And Jeremy?"

"He's too messed up right now to feel too much of anything. I'm sure he'll be fine, he'll just be feeling it later," she spoke, rolling her eyes.

Eden nodded, moving with the other girls and lightly tugging Audrey along with her as the crowd began to disperse, the football team heading to the locker rooms to get changed into full uniform.

— — — — — — — — — —

As if the night wasn't eventful enough with Jeremy and Tyler's fight and Stefan nearly getting his hand sliced open from the broken bottle, Matt ended up finding Coach Tanner's body outside of the locker rooms, neck torn open, just like Vicki had been.

The crowd that had previously come to watch the game stood around as the first responders worked to clear the scene. Audrey stood beside Eden, their arms wound through one another's and her head resting on Eden's shoulder.

"What kind of an animal would do this?" Audrey asked, more to herself than anyone else.

Eden shook her head, "I don't know. I just hope that they catch them soon."

Audrey nodded to agree and let out a sigh, knowing that once her mom heard about this, there was a big chance that she wouldn't be allowed out on her own after dark.

Reaching down into her jacket pocket, she typed out a text to Jeremy. She could see him sitting on the edge of the bleachers, and though she could tell that he wanted space, and she didn't want to be as involved in the drama with him and Vicki anymore, she wanted to make sure that her friend was okay.

She typed out the message and looked back to where she saw him sitting. Before she hit send, she saw Vicki walk over, kneeling down to be level with him and the two of them sharing a moment. Instead of sending the text, Audrey backed out what she had typed and put her phone away.

"Ready to head home?" she asked Eden. "You can stay at mine tonight, I'm sure my mom won't mind."

Eden nodded and turned to leave the area, the two girls walked out to the car and heading home.


End file.
